Ace of Spades
by Nova Rhea9d3
Summary: Ace is the Queen of Hearts' number two right hand who's gone missing from Wonderland; members of White Rabbit are sent to find her. Lane has the misfortune of looking identical to Ace. That is all they happen to have in common though. Let's see how she does in Ace's place. *Rewrite* Hatter/OC; Mad March/OC
1. Lane Fields

I apologize in advance to anyone who was already reading this story. I just felt after such a long hiatus that I should re-write it into what I saw as a better storyline.

* * *

Name: Lane Fields

Appearance: Medium brown skin; Medium length, black hair; Pearl Grey eyes; 5'1", Normal build.

Age: 16

Lane was walking home from the park like she did every so often. It was summer vacation and there wasn't much to do since most of her friends had left with their families either out of state or out of the country. She was enjoying watching the squirrels and birds moving in the trees, and watching the wind blow kites of children playing nearby, making them go higher and higher. She wasn't paying attention to what was in front of her and eventually bumped into some solid losing her balance out of surprise.

"It's a good thing I'm wearing shorts." Lane said, before picking herself off the ground and dusting the seat of her pants off with both hands.

When Lane had finally looked at what she bumped into her heart skipped a beat. She had run into Jason, and two of his lackeys. Jason was the neighborhood thug and was always up to no good. No matter who you were he was always trying to pick fights and bother people. He had nothing better to do with his time and liked to show his ass to people, so to speak. A complete, Grade A, douchebag.

Jason was quite tall and built for his age; only about a year or so older than Lane, and her friends. He was an impressive height of 6'4", his biceps were the same size, if not bigger, than Lane's thighs, his stomach was nothing but muscle; Lane had actually hurt herself by trying to punch Jason in the stomach once, he was being rude to her friend and Lane wasn't the type to stand by and let someone get away with hurting her friends. He was attractive in a 'Bad Boy' kind of way; he had black, short hair that he spiked with gel almost every day, both of his ears were gauged; black ones with white brass knuckle drawings on them, his left eyebrow was pierced with a black rod, each end having cylindrical spike. Lane and her friends would sometimes joke about how if Jason were to get hit by a Semi-truck that the Semi would take the most damage.

"What's up little girl? Are you lost? Did that fall hurt?" Jason said in the most mocking of ways.

"…No. I'm fine, sorry." Lane said, trying to avoid eye contact with Jason, hoping he would just let her pass.

She tried to walk past Jason and his lackeys but they just got in her way.

"Now where are you off to in such a hurry?" He said, getting in front of her.

"I have to get home and clean. I've been putting it off for too long and my mom will be pissed if she comes home and sees the mess is still there." She said, trying to go around Jason.

Jason got in front of Lane every time she tried to find a way around him, the fact that his two other friends were doing the same didn't help much either.

"I'm sure cleaning can wait. Come hang out with us for a while." He said.

Jason snapped his fingers and his two lackeys got on either side of Lane before picking her up by her arms. Jason had made his lackeys carry Lane to an abandoned building about two blocks away from where they had been in the first place. Several people saw her being carried away but didn't want to get involved. Everyone knew that Jason could be cruel at times but they knew that he would never intentionally put someone in life threatening danger, so they would leave him be hoping not to catch his attention.

* * *

"They say this building is haunted and whoever is left in here after a certain amount of time will start to hear and see the ghosts that inhabit the place. They say they aren't too welcoming to strangers either. Same say that people have gone in and haven't come out." Jason said, a predator like smile and his smug face. "Drop her here." He motioned to a pair of some old, creaky stairs in the building.

Lane was dropped on her butt for the second time that day, this time more roughly than earlier though. She glared hatefully at Jason and his idiot subordinates.

"Now, don't you have too much fun without us, honey bunches." Jason said mockingly. He locked the doors behind him making it so that Lane couldn't get out. "We will come back and check on you in a few hours, if you're still here when we get back I promise to never mess with you again. If you're gone by the time we get back and we never see you again, then we'll miss you whole heartedly." he called to Lane from the other side of the door.

Jason's lackeys laughed like what they were doing was actually funny, like it was the best joke in the world and they owned it.

Lane hated places like this. They made her feel nervous and paranoid, like what was said about the place may have been true at one point or another. Fortunately, the fact that it was still daytime, and she could hear cars passing by, and people talking not too far away made her feel that if anything were to actually go wrong she would be able to yell for help.

"That boy is such an asshole!" Lane said, frustrated at the fact that she ended up being Jason's victim for the day. "I really hope someone kicks that boy in the dick soon!" She was fuming.

* * *

Lane wandered around the building, doing her best to not step on anything that looked weak enough to collapse under her weight. A few hours had gone by before she had heard the doors open again and Jason yell for her. She had kept herself entertained by texting her friends about her situation, looking at videos on her phone, and exploring the building when she decided she got bored using her phone.

"Hey runt, we're back!" Jason said.

Lane was about to call back to him but she decided to have a little fun first. She would teach them to mess with her out of idiotic boredom. She moved around as quietly as possible up to the second floor and waited for Jason and his zombie followers to get near there.

"Maybe she left." one of Jason's friends said.

"If that was the case one of the windows would have been smashed, or the doors would have been forced open. Plus, no said they saw anyone leave the building." Jason said.

Lane waited until she was sure they were all close enough to the corner of the stair to scare them. She had taken a tarp and attached empty paint cans to them; she tied the other end to the ceiling and waited for the right moment to let them go. She threw the cans down and let out an unearthly shriek to make them paranoid themselves about their absurd story. Jason's lackeys could be heard yelling and running away before anything could really be figured out.

"Get back here you idiots! Can't you see it's fake!?" Jason yelled at his hastily retreating friends.

His lackeys kept running though causing Lane to start laughing as she came out from her hiding spot.

"Wow. Those two are definitely the most reliable guys I've ever seen." She said sarcastically. "See, I stayed here the whole time and I survived being stolen away to the "other side" which means you have to stop bothering Me." Her tone was serious.

"Oh, come on. Messing with you is way too fun. I could never truly leave you alone." He said, smirking while raising his left eyebrow and piercing.

"Spoken like a true Bag of Douche." She said while glaring at Jason in disgust.

Jason picked Lane up by her arms and held her up against the wall behind her.

"Watch your mouth. You're in no position to talk to me like you won't catch a slap." He said, glaring straight into Lane's eyes.

Lane used her legs to try and push Jason away but it was like he was a wall himself. He unpinned her from the wall and held her in place.

"I admire you trying to fight back but it's pointless." He said while taking her chin in his hand.

Lane squirmed about as much as she could against Jason's grasp.

"I hate when people touch my face!" She yelled.

"Oh please, you like it." He said while sneering at her.

"Oh, please! You're so full of yourself for no reason!" She said, hating the close proximity and his unnecessary arrogance.

"No, you do. I've seen you watching me day in and day out. Checking me out as I walk by." He said, moving his face closer to hers.

Lane moved her hand to mush Jason out of her face; it only lasted a few seconds before her grabbed her hand before also grabbing her other one to make sure she didn't try it again.

"It's okay to be curious. I'm curious sometimes too." He said, before making the space between their mouths nonexistent.

She was surprised and wasn't quite sure on how to react. There was a lot of flailing on her end and a lot of restraining from his end before he moved away from frustration.

"Look, just relax." He said having gotten close to her ear. "I won't bite unless you ask me to." He said a smirk heard clearly in his voice.

She blushed at the situation; she started to feel him nibble on her neck before returning his lips to hers.

'I shouldn't let this happen. I need to fight against him. I shouldn't like this.' She thought, finding herself slowly wrapping her arms around Jason's neck before feeling herself being sat on the stairs with him beside her.

She let go of his neck before breaking their kiss. She was feeling guilty yet liberated for having had such an experience.

"I'm gonna' go." She said while getting up to leave.

"Hey, relax. We've barely done anything." He said, grabbing her arm to stop her.

"I said I have to go." She said, pulling her arm.

"And I said no!" He said, yanking her back forcefully.

"I said stop!" She yelled.

"There you are." came a voice among the struggle.

Jason and Lane looked in the direction the voice came from. They saw an old man with white hair that reached his waist. His hair was kept in two braids and reminded Lane somewhat of rabbit ears.

"The Queen has been looking for you." The old man said, moving over to Lane. Ah, "Have you really been here messing about while you were away?" He said, looking from Jason to Lane.

"Um…, what?" Lane said.

"Alright then." The old man said.

He dislodged Lane's arm from Jason's grasp and tossed him aside like he was nothing.

"Thanks." She said, getting closer the old man for safety.

The old man gave her his hand to hold and she accepted it.

"What, you wanna' go old man?" Jason said, getting back up and looking as though he was ready to actually fight the man.

"You really don't want to do this." The old man said, trying to persuade Jason into backing down before he got embarrassed.

"Really old man? You really think you can take me?" Jason said.

The fight was over before it even started. Jason was pretty much unconscious and Lane was being pulled along by the old man.

"Ladies first." The old man said once they got to an antique looking mirror.

"What?" Lane said.

"Oh come now, we haven't the time to mess around." The old man said.

Before Lane could ask him what he meant the old man pushed her into the mirror, and she could feel herself falling for what seemed like an eternity.


	2. Unexpected Greetings

When Lane felt that her body had finally rested on solid ground she opened her eyes. She saw that she was on a ledge with an incredibly high drop point; she did her best to scoot back without disturbing the ledge beneath her in case it was weak. Her fear never revolved around heights specifically, it was more centered on falling, making her feel shaky from the possibility of falling over.

"This way." The old man said.

Lane didn't know where she was or where else she could go so she felt she had no other choice but to follow the old man.

"I've been waiting ages for you to return! Where were you!?" The Queen of Hearts demanded.

"On vacation?" Lane said truthfully.

"Vacation!? Vacation!?" The Queen said.

"Yes… your highness?" Lane said.

"Unacceptable! Off with her head!" The Queen yelled.

The Queen's guards surrounded Lane from all sides getting ready to take her away to the guillotine. The Queen never thought twice about sending someone to their deaths. She was a brutal and merciless woman and all the power always went to her head with no one to tell her otherwise.

"Anyone touches her and they'll have me to deal with." A mature, semi digital voice with a New York accent said.

Lane and the others turned in the direction of where the voice came from and saw what appeared to be the body of a man with a porcelain rabbit head above his shoulders.

'This place just keeps getting stranger and stranger. …What if that's his real head!? Can it really be possible for him to survive like that!?' Lane thought, a clear picture of horror painted across her face.

"How are you doing, angel face?" The rabbit man said.

Lane could not answer due to the sheer disbelief of any of this being real.

"You look so fucking creepy." Lane managed to slip out before putting her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my bad." She tried to avoid looking at the rabbit man.

"Ha ha, you haven't changed much. You never really were one for having a filter. The apology thing is a little bit odd though. Have you been letting people teach you manners, Ace?" The rabbit man said a little confused about the slight politeness shown by Lane.

"What is the meaning of this, Mad March!?" The Queen demanded.

'Mad March, That's a weird name. Then again this is a weird place.' Lane thought.

"Come one Queen, can't do, Ace, the way you did me. You'll be defacing a gift sent to us from below." Mad March said.

'A gift sent from below? Is this guy talking about hell?' Lane thought, confused by Mad March's words.

Mad March turned to Lane and seemed to be checking her out. At least she thought he was. It was rather hard to tell if he was since he wasn't able to show any facial expressions.

"She shall not disappoint me again, do you understand? The only reason I'm letting her go is because I like you and I like her." The Queen said after what seemed like forever.

"O-Of course not, I'll keep my standards high to please you." Lane said, happy to find her neck had literally just been saved.

"Yes. You can always count on our angel-faced demon." Mad March said. "Shall we?" He said holding his arm out for Lane. She linked arms with Mad March and he led her away.

* * *

"Your room is exactly the way you left it." Mad March said, after reaching a pair of Fancy looking double doors. They were adorned with black and white Ace symbols, the one you would see on playing cards. The word 'Ace' was also written across both doors in a fancy manner.

"My room?" Lane said.

"Yes, angel face, your room." He said, before turning to look at Lane.

He let go of her arm and pushed both of the doors open.

"See? Your room is just the way you left it." he said while watching her walk into the room and look around.

Lane walked around the room and took in all of its beauty. The intricate design had her mesmerized by the lot of it. All of the walls were white with black pin stripes going down them; the carpet was white and had little aces littering it in vertical and horizontal pattern. The bed was king sized, had a black comforter with white sheets underneath, the pillows top pillow were black and white and the bottom pillows were white.

"It's really fancy." She said, smiling to herself. She went to go lie down on the bed and rest her eyes for a bit, having had quite the adventure for one afternoon. "If this is a dream I hope I have another one like it soon."

Lane felt pressure blanketing her body followed by a pleasant scent, the scent of a man who she was enjoying for a split second before coming to her senses. She opened her eyes and saw that Mad March was right in her face.

"Uh, what are you doing!?" She said surprised.

Lane could feel Mad March through his suit. He was built almost the same way Jason was, but it seemed to be more controlled, the shape of his build seemed more deliberate than someone who had just been trying to bulk up purely for power. The build felt light yet powerful, flexible and sturdy.

"I can turn this into a fantasy if you'd like. Tell me what you want me to do to you" He said into her ear slyly.

"What!? …What!?" She said feeling beyond embarrassed and panicky.

"I know it's been a while since we went at it. I'll work you up to it see how you respond to a few new things I've been thinking of using." He said.

Mad March's hands moved to the top button on Lane's shorts before starting to unzip them, slowly enough so that Lane was able to stop him before he tugged them down.

"What's the matter angel face, you got a forest down there or something?" He said.

"No! Get off me!" She yelled embarrassed and angry, flailing her arms and legs about trying to push him away from her.

Lane had managed to push Mad March out of the room before slamming the door behind him and locking it.

"What's the matter, Ace?" He said through the door.

She zipped up and buttoned her pants back up before answering him.

"Just get lost! I don't want to see you! How dare you try and touch me like that!" She yelled through the door, frustrated at the fact that not only Jason, but also this man she just met had just tried to have his way with her.

"Come on angel face, don't be that way. Is it someone else? Cause if it is, you know they'll never be as good to you as I can be." He said.

"Just leave me alone!" She yelled.

"Ace!" He yelled, starting to pound angrily on the door.

"I said get lost!" She yelled in response.

* * *

It was about an hour or so later when Lane heard a knock at the door.

"Ace, can I come in?" a male voice said.

The voice did not belong to Mad March's. It was still mature like his but it was softer that and it had an English accent.

"Who is it?" Lane said, getting off the bed and heading over towards the door.

"It's me, Jack." Jack said.

"Hold on." She said before unlocking the door.

Jack stepped in and stared at Lane for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"Why are your eyes so red? Were you… crying in here?" He said confused.

"I-I'm just having a rough day. I'm just so tired by all this nonsense happening in such a short amount of time." She said rubbing the corners of her eyes before going back and collapsing on 'her' bed.

Jack went and sat beside her.

"We've decided to have a party in order to celebrate your return." He said.

"Really? Is me retuning really that big of a deal?" She said.

"Yes, you're important to the Queen. You're important to all of us." He said grabbing hold of Lane's hand in a friendly manner.

"Why exactly is that then?" She said.

"Come now, you know you're the only other right hand law enforcer the Queen has. She trusts you with her life and the life, as do I. you know you're a dear friend of mine. You're the younger sister I never had." He said, before kissing the back of Lane's hand.

"Law enforcer?" She said looking more lost than ever.

Jack stared at Lane and every now and again would open his mouth like he was getting ready to say something, but only made noises.

"Take your shirt off." He said.

"What!?" She said surprised. "You're all fucking perverts!" She yelled getting up angrily.

"Okay, that didn't come out right. Could I see your back?" He said.

"Why?" She said.

"So I can see you tattoo." He said.

"What tattoo?" She said.

"It's a tattoo of a Royal Flush of Spades. It should be between your shoulder blades if you are who we think you are." He said.

"…Okay?" She said, before turning around and taking her off.

Jack touched Lane's back causing her to jump from being startled.

"I was hoping I was wrong, but this proves it. If you aren't Ace, then who are you?" He said.

"I'm Lane. Lane Fields." She said.

"How did you get here, Lane?" He said.

"The old man with the two braids. He brought me here after saving me from a neighborhood thug. He pushed me through this really old looking mirror." She said.

Jack got up to leave.

"Are you going to tell the Queen she's made a mistake?" She said.

"No, if she ever finds out that you aren't Ace, she'll have you killed on the spot." He said with a worried look on his face.

"She's so harsh. Does this place not have a legal system?" She said.

"That's mother for you. The only system here is her own form or justice, she is quite trigger happy." He said.

"That woman is your mother!? My condolences, man." She said.

"It's alright. Though not really." He said.

"So what should I do? Do I make a run for it or should I stay?" She said.

"You need to stay for now. You need to get dressed and go to your party, and act as normal as possible; slightly bitchy and very sarcastic if possible." He said.

"That's all? Yes, I can manage an attitude if necessary and I'm already pretty sarcastic." She said.

"And above all else, do not let Mad March see you naked." He said.

"Ha! No trouble there. I don't even know that asshole." She said.

* * *

Lane put on a black corset dress that stopped about two inches above her knees. It was white in the chest and sleeve area; the sleeves were a bit puffy and had black silk laces woven in and out of them to adjust the looseness of the sleeves, the bottom of the dress slightly puffed out the was a ball gown would. She put on white stockings and black shoes that looked like Mary Jane heels. For the finishing touch she put on a black chocker with an ace on it. It was a centimeter thick and had 'Ace' engraved on it.

She heard a knock on the door when she was almost done putting her outfit together.

"Come in." Lane said facing away from the door.

"Are you ready to appease the masses?" Mad March said.

"Of course I am." She said, looking at him by way of the mirror.

Mad March turned his head to the right and Lane did the same out of curiosity. There was a portrait there that she had seen earlier but didn't pay too much attention to. The portrait was of Ace and a man in a suit. The man had short, snow white hair, tea green eyes, and was very attractive. In the portrait she was sitting on a throne like chair while the man with snow white hair was sitting on the arm rest, leaning back on it casually. She and the man looked like they balanced each other out. They looked like they were genuinely alright; her arm intertwined with the man's in what seemed like a loving manner.


	3. The Hatter

"Is it because I don't look like that anymore?" Mad March said abruptly.

"What?" Lane said, pulling herself back to reality.

"You always acted like you were so proud to be with me back then. Always seeming to show me off to whoever was around." He said.

Lane looked from Mad March to the portrait and thought about what he said. In truth she would also have been proud to show Mad March off having looked the way he did in the portrait. He was a very handsome man.

"What happened to you?" She said.

"The Queen was dissatisfied with my failure, so it was off with my head. You know how that cow can be." He said.

Lane was starting to feel remorse for having treated Mad March so harshly; she and him were technically together so what he had done was not exactly wrong of him. The Queen was a too cruel woman to have so much power over the people around her.

"If I could look like that for you again I would do it in a heartbeat." He said, turning his head to face her.

Lane slowly went up to Mad March couldn't help but hug him. She'd never felt so sorry for someone in their life. She could feel his arms envelope her in a tighter hug than her own before stepping back.

"Come one, we have a party to get to." She said while taking hold of Mad March's hand.

* * *

"We are all gathered here tonight to celebrate the return of our beloved and respected, Ace. We can all breathe easier knowing that she will once again help to protect our kingdom." The King of Hearts said.

The whole room was in an uproar of cheering. People yelling out how they loved Ace, and other type of sounds of gratitude.

"Ace, if you wouldn't mind saying a few words for us." the King said.

Lane looked to Jack for confirmation, when Jack nodded his head 'Yes' Lane stood up and began to speak.

"I know it seemed so sudden when I disappeared." Lane said, pausing only to look at Jack to make sure she was saying the right thing. "I needed to go somewhere and sort out a few personal matters of my own, but I am back now and do no plan on going anywhere again anytime soon. You can take that to the back!" She said beginning to hype herself up as well.

'What the hell was that about?' She thought.

There was uproar of cheering for her words again.

Lane sat down before looking at Jack one more time; he was sitting directly across from her so it didn't seem like something out of the ordinary.

"Ace, you remember, Hatter." Duchess said, motioning to a man in a straw hat and chestnut brown hair; her accent was English and dainty.

'Oh my God, he's so damn hot.' Lane thought freezing in place.

Lane hadn't noticed she was staring at Hatter, who still had his hand out for her to take.

"Ace?" Hatter said bringing Lane out of her pause; he had and English accent as well, but it seemed rougher than Jack's accent, not as refined and uptight.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I blanked for a moment." Lane said.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Duchess said, putting the back of her hand to Lane's forehead.

"I really have no clue. I'm gonna' go get some air." Lane said, getting up to go out onto to balcony.

* * *

"This is too crazy." Lane said to herself.

"The party or Mad March's new look?" someone said from behind Lane.

Lane turned around with a start and saw that it had just been Hatter.

"Oh, you startled me." She said.

"Sorry about that." He said.

"No, it's fine." She said before looking away from him and back at the giant maze garden down below.

'Who in the hell even has the time?' She thought, looking at the garden stretched the length of what one could imagine being two football fields.

"So, where were you?" He said, moving right up beside Lane.

"Around and about, above and beyond, to and fro, to infinity and beyond, you get the idea." She said.

"What exactly did you do in all those cast places?" He said.

"I did stuff." She said.

"What kind of stuff?" He said, getting closer to her.

"The kind of stuff that isn't your business to worry about! Get off my ass, man!" She said turning to him, frustrated.

"Always so defensive about everything like always." He said, chuckling. "You should come visit me at the tea shop tomorrow."

"Why would I want to do that?" She said, not wanting to blow her cover. Her want to spend time with the Hatter was, however, there.

"So we can catch up. I'd like to know what happened to you while you were away." He said.

"I already told you it's none of your damn business!" She said.

Lane started to walk, away from Hatter hoping to put a stop to the questions. He grabbed her arm, it was not in a forceful way like Jason had done, it was simply to let her know that he was being serious about talking to her.

"I'm, not just trying to mess around with you, if that's what you're thinking. I am genuinely glad to see that you're back." He said.

Lane let out a defeated sigh before speaking.

"Alright. Did you change the location of your shop?" She said feeling defeated.

"No. But you can still have my card. That is something I changed while you were away." He said, pulling out a business card.

Lane took the card and examined it thoroughly. 'The Mad Hatter's Tea Shop', is what the card read. It had the design of a purple top hat with green ribbon wrapping around it, and a tag that read '10/6'. She looked up at him and saw that he was eyeing her intently.

"Do I have something on my face?" She said, tucking his business card into the front of her dress before swiping her hands across her face in a light sweeping manner.

"No, there's nothing on your face." He said, taking her face in his hand.

Lane instinctively swatted Hatter's hands away with force.

"I really hate when people touch my face." She said with a scowl on her face.

"Oh. I like your dress." He said showing that he felt a bit dejected by her action towards him.

"Thank you. I wasn't sure quite sure if I'd be able to pull it off but it's more comfortable than it looks." She said, checking herself out.

"How could you not pull it off? It is your dress." He said.

"Yes, of course it is." She said with uncertainty written on her face.

"What happened to you? Your level of confidence makes you seem more humble than normal. Did you almost die out there?" He said, looking a bit worried.

"I mean I'm still getting used to being back home. Let me settle back into my personality, okay?" She said turning away from him.

Lane felt Hatter get up close behind her and pull the top of her dress down.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, turning around and pushing the Hatter out of reflex.

"What happened to your tattoo?" He said, regaining his balance.

"Maybe I lied about it being there in the first place." She said.

"You don't have to pretend anymore, you're busted, girl." He said.

"Are you going to tell the Queen about me?" She said.

"Ha, and have you executed? The idea is laughable. Who are you though?" He said.

"I'm Lane. The old man with the two braids brought me here because he thought I was that, Ace chick." She said.

"Lane." He said, trying her name out for the first time. "You really should come see me tomorrow then. Let me give you one of my cards." He searched his jacket pockets for a card to give to Lane.

Hatter was about to give Lane another card when she pulled the one from earlier out of her dress.

"You already gave me one." She said with a small smile.

"Oh, right." He said starting to show the beginning of a blush coming on.

"What time should I come by and see you?" She said.

"Anytime you feel like it. I'll make sure to keep my day free so we can talk." He said, starting to walk away

"Is there a specific type of dress code to come and see you at work?" She said.

"No, you can just wear whatever you feel comfortable in." He said, starting to walk backwards.

"Okay, thank you. I really like your hat." She called out to him.

"Thank you." He said, smiling back at her.

"Oh, look out!" She called, but he had already backed into one of the doors.

"Who put that door there?" He said, getting even redder.

Lane just shook her head and smiled to herself. She was going to enjoy seeing the Hatter again.

* * *

"Did you enjoy the party?" Mad March said.

Lane and Mad March had both gone back to her room when they felt the party was over for them.

"It was a lot of fun. The food was decent and hearing people cheer for me was an added bonus." Lane said while removing her shoes.

"What were you and the Hatter talking about on the balcony?" He said.

"We talked about my wild and crazy adventures I had while I was away." She said sarcasm dripping from her mouth. "I'm going to go see him tomorrow."

"Need help getting that dress off?" He said.

"No. I have it just fine." She said, remembering what Jack had told her earlier.

"We don't have to fool around tonight. I just want to feel you close to me." He said coming up behind her.

"No really, it's fine." She said turning to face him.

Mad March picked Lane up and placed her on the desk that was in the corner of her room by the wardrobe. She watched as his hands traveled up her thighs slowly before grasping at her hips where her stocking were. She went into a lying position so he could pull them off with more ease.

"I could have taken my stocking off myself." She said, still lying down on the desk not wanted him to see how red her face had gotten. She was even beginning to feel light headed. No one had ever done something like that to her before. She began to feel a foreign sensation between her legs that she couldn't place.

"I know you could. I wanted to feel you again." He said.

Mad March started to undo the corset ties in the front of Lane's dress. She got up as quickly as she could and got off the desk.

"I can undo the ties myself. They're the easiest part of the dress." She said hastily.


	4. Strange Sleepover

"Do you like the Hatter?" Mad March said.

"Yeah, he seems pretty cool." Lane said.

"No, I meant are you interested in him the way you seem to be interested in me, once upon a time." He said.

"No, I barely know the guy. I care about you." She said grabbing his hand.

Mad March looked down at Lane's hand holding his.

"I want to believe that, but I know it's just a lie. You always lie!" He said, before violently yanking his hand out of her grasp.

'What in the hell was that about?' She thought, surprised by Mad March's sudden outburst.

"You know what? Be paranoid. I honestly don't give a fuck." She said before turning her back on him and sifting through the wardrobe for clothes she could use as pajamas.

Mad March was ready to leave but felt conflicted. He didn't want to go to sleep knowing that he'd upset 'Ace' after just getting back. Though he hated her at times for toying with his emotions, he still found himself caring like she would maybe one day go back to the way she used to be.

"Maybe I'll just sleep here tonight." He said.

"Uh uh. Nope. No thank you. You gotta' get the hell up out of here. I need to get dressed and go to sleep." She said, trying to keep her body, and back, to herself.

Mad March started to take his jacket off and started to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" She said growing more nervous by the second.

"I'm getting ready for bed." He said, having undone all of the buttons on his shirt before getting to the zipper on his slacks, never fully removing the shirt.

She stared slack jawed at what stood before her.

'You've got to be fucking kidding me. It looks like I could wash clothes on his stomach. And that V shape so close to his-.' Lane thought before she caught herself actually drooling. She shook it off the best she could.

She fast walked over to where the light switch was before turning it off.

"What was that for? You can't tell me that you weren't enjoying the show." He said the cockiness heard far too clearly in his voice.

"Give me a break, man. I just ate." She said sarcastically.

"Oh really now? Where are you, you little brat?" He said playfully, trying to find her in the dark.

Lane did her best to avoid Mad March before she ended up backing up into a wall. He cornered her before picking her up and caring her the bed with him.

"Bed time, angel face." He said.

"I still haven't changed." She said, feeling his exposed stomach against her arm. His body ran hot which made her face start to do the same.

"Alright, alright." He said letting her get up.

Lane went back over to the wardrobe and used the moonlight to help her find a par of red, silk pajamas. The top was button up and the bottoms were shorts; very short shorts. She felt Mad March come up beside her and grab a pair of pajama pants for himself.

"You keep clothes in my wardrobe?" She said.

"You know it's only mostly pajamas; for when I don't feel like leaving." He cooed at her.

Lane made her way to the bed and lied down on the left side; the left side was always her side besides the middle of the bed. Not too long after she felt Mad March lie down beside her before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

"The next time you decide to disappear could you let me know?" He said.

"I can't make any promises about that. I'm a free spirit, man." She said.

"Yeah, a free spirit. A little too free at time if you ask me" He said.

"We're not doing this again, goodnight, bitch." She said.

"Hey, you should be kissing me with that dirty little mouth of yours, _not_ insulting me with it." He said giving her a quick and semi painful smack on the butt.

"Careful." She said while rubbing the slight sting away.

* * *

When Lane woke up the next morning Mad March was gone. She was slightly disappointed that she couldn't wake up beside him before remembering about her back. She prayed that her shirt hadn't ridden up while she was sleeping during the night.

She put on what looked like a coral summer dress with slight synching designs at the waist; she put on a pair of white flats and another one of Ace's necklaces. She chose the one that looked similar to the one from the party but this one was all gold and had a chain to hold it instead of a ribbon.

When she arrived at the Hatter's tea shop she wasn't quite sure which manner she should enter it in.

'Should I knock on the door or do I just go in?' Lane thought feeling as lost as she did, if not more, than when she arrived yesterday.

"Looking for someone?" a familiar voice said.

Lane turned to see Hatter standing to the side behind her. He was wearing the same hat from the night before but he was dressed less formal; he was dressed semi-casual.

"Hey. What's up?" She said, smiling.

Hatter looked up a bit confused.

"Um, the sky and clouds?" He said before smiling and shrugging.

"Forget I said anything." She said feeling out of her element.

"Alright then, come this way." He said motioning for her to follow him.

Hatter led Lane through the front door of his tea shop. They were a royal purple color and had chrome colored door knobs.

'Oh, you fancy huh?' She thought cornily while passing through the doors.

"What are those?" She said, pointing to a vast collection of vials adorning both walls.

They were all filled with different colored liquids that were labeled under different emotions.

"Those are the different kind of teas that we sell here." He said.

"I've never seen teas like that before. Why are they labeled under emotions instead of flavors?" She said, stopping to examine the vials herself.

"Come now, you mustn't stare at the merchandise like that." He said while leading her away.

Her interest in the vials was starting to catch the attention of those bidding on them.

* * *

Hatter handed Lane a cup of what she recognized to be 'regular' tea. She took it before thanking him. He had asked her what flavor she preferred, she told him she wanted mint; mint was always the right choice for her.

"What's the difference between the tea you just served me, and the tea out there?" She said.

"The tea in here is made with herbs while the tea out there is made from key ingredients we collected from our Oysters." He said

"What type of Oysters can you make tea with? I didn't even know that was possible. In all honesty it sounds terrible." She said.

"Don't worry about it then, it's not really that important. It's just tea after all." He said sitting down in the chair behind his desk.

"I like your office." She said looking at her surroundings.

Hatter's office looked like they were outside. The carpet was made of grass, his desk was white as well was his chair; it looked like half an egg shell and it swiveled quite easily. He had a pair of comfortable looking headphones set on top of the back of his chair.

"Thank you." He said.

"So, how well did you know, Ace?" She said catching him off guard.

"What?" He said.

"You guys must have been pretty close for you to have known about the tattoo." She said staring straight at him.

"Oh yeah. We go way back." He said.

"How back is 'way back'?" She said.

"To uh… the back room of my office?" He said grinning sheepishly.

Lane choked at her tea. She wasn't sure how to take the sudden news.

"Was this before or after Mad March?" She said surprised.

"It was somewhat during… before after?" He said sheepish grin still displayed on his face.

"What the hell does that even mean?" She said.

"Anyone with eyes could see that they were having problems. No one would really be surprised if they found out about us. She came to me because we were already friends, one thing lead to another, and here _you_ are." He said talking with his hands.

"I feel like I'm impersonating a slight whore." She said.

"I wouldn't call her a whore; she's more of a 'free spirit' nowadays." He said.

"You don't say?" She said sipping at her mint tea.

"I think you should stay here with me." He said

"What do mean by that?" She said looking up from her cup.

"Technically you and, Mad March aren't together. So I feel that you should, only if you wanted to of course, maybe come live with me." He said.

"Are you mad?" She said.

"Haha. Very funny." He said sarcastically.

Lane thought about what she said before realizing the irony of her words. She had a good laugh about it as well.

"Sorry. That was no pun intended. I don't really think I'm in a position to up and leave like that again though." She said.

"Again?" He said.

"You know what I mean, bitch." She said rolling her eyes.

"Ace, is bound to turn up sooner or later." He said, getting out of his chair.

"Yeah, but how long is sooner or later? Because that's different to certain people, like my mom; my mom's sooner is always most people's version of later. That's why when she says I'll have something soon I know not to expect it until I'm on my death bed." She said.

Hatter got out of his chair and went over to where Lane was before crouching down in front of her.

"Don't you worry your sweet little head about those details; I'll take care of what needs taking care of." He said taking the tea cup out of her hands before giving the back a kiss.


	5. Tracking Ace

Lane smiled sweetly at Hatter before speaking her mind.

"If we were in my world, you and Mad March would be considered pedophiles." Lane said.

"Wow, thanks for ruining the moment for me." Hatter said.

Hatter stood up and tried his best to look at anything else but Lane.

"Wait, I'm sorry." She said, getting up and hugging Hatter from the side.

Hatter wrapped his arms around Lane and started twisting her body from side to side.

"~You're into me.~" He said in a sing-song voice, smiling with his tongue in between his teeth.

"No. I think you're okay at best." She said trying to pull away from Hatter.

"Nope. ~You know you like me. You want to kiss me. You want to ride me. You want my children.~" He said in a sing-song voice, continuing to tease Lane.

Lane kept trying to struggle out of Hatter's grasp, which was fine enough before her started to tickle her causing her to start screaming and squealing with laughter.

"Stop! Stop!" She cried out tears starting to form in her eyes.

"You are very ticklish." He said in a matter of fact tone.

"Stop! It hurts! I'm about to piss myself!" She said frantically.

Hatter stopped at hearing this. Lane sank to the floor while holding her side trying to compose herself.

"You're the devil." She said catching her breathe.

"I know." He said with a wide grin.

There was a sudden knock at the door that caused both Lane and Hatter to jump. He opened the door to reveal it had been Mad March who was on the other side.

"The Queen is looking for you, Ace." Mad March said when he came in, completely ignoring the existence of Hatter all together.

"Hey you." Lane said getting off the floor.

"What were you guys doing in here?" Mad March said, looking at Lane's slightly sweaty and red face.

"We were just hanging out, talking about stuff, drinking tea; the usual." Lane said.

Mad March seemed to be analyzing the room and Lane and Hatter before saying what was on his mind.

"If there's something going on between the two of you, you better believe there's gonna' be a funeral for you Hatter." Mad March said threateningly.

"Oh, would you leave him be already. You need to stop with your jealous tirade. It's extremely off putting." Lane said.

Lane felt a tad bit guilty because she knew that the real Ace had been messing around with the Hatter behind Mad March's back; his jealousy wasn't exactly misdirected in that sense.

* * *

"We're having trouble with people who think they're above my laws. I want the two of you to go and kill them while their families watch so that there are no further misunderstandings." The Queen said.

"Really, just like that? Kill them in front of their families scarring them forever?" Lane said.

"What did you just say!?" The Queen said bewildered by Lane's comment.

Lane regretting opening her mouth. There was no way to really rebound it without sounding like a complete psychopath.

"I mean I'm all for it. Of course I'm always up for it, but why just stop there? Why not burn down the whole town instead?" Lane said. 'What the fuck, Lane?" She thought realizing she had made things far worse than the people already had it.

"You can't just go around being mindlessly violent like that. Slaughter the people and leave the village to be turned into more market lands. It'll save us time and money on rebuilding new spaces." The Queen said.

"Of course, I do get ahead of myself sometimes." Lane said.

* * *

"What was that about in there? It sounded like you were trying to get out of doing your job. A job, may I remind you, that you're damn good at." Mad March said.

"What do you mean? I was completely for destroying lives, especially since there's been nothing for to do lately." Lane said.

"You're going soft on me. You're becoming like a sorry little girl. What the hell happened while you were away?" He said.

"My outlooks on life changed." She said.

"Bullshit. You're obviously just trying to win over the favor of that shaggy tea sipper. Since when are you the type to care what people thought of you?" He said.

"There you go assuming shit again. Paranoia isn't healthy you dumb fuck." She said, becoming frustrated with Mad March constantly worrying about the dumbest things.

Mad Marched grabbed Lane by the arm before throwing her up against the wall and moving in front of her so she couldn't run.

"What did I tell you about that mouth of your!?" He yelled in her face.

"Don't fucking yell at me!" She yelled back trying to push Mad March away from her.

"I'm trying to show you that I care about you. I'm looking out for _your_ wellbeing. Don't go throwing everything away for someone who isn't even fit the lick the mud from your boots. Commoners stick with commoners. You and me, we're the same. That's why it's you and _me _together not you and _him_. You _will_ learn the difference or it'll be me who'll be ending you!" He said before walking away from her, anger radiating from his body.

* * *

Lane was pounding on Hatter's office door, it was after hours so no one was there to see her upset and desperate. Her eyes were red and her voice was hoarse from trying not to cry out loud.

"Hel-lo?" Hatter said, after opening the door.

Lane ran in and hugged the Hatter hoping he would comfort her the way she needed to be at that very moment.

"We really need to find, Ace! I'm scared for my life right now!" Lane said crying into Hatter's chest.

"Calm down, Lane. What happened to you?" He said.

Lane explained altercation that happened between her and Mad March not much earlier.

* * *

Lane was helping Hatter get ready for the trip he was going to have to take in order to set things right. He had to go out and find Ace so that there could be some sort of peace for Lane.

"How long do you think it'll take for you to find her?" Lane said, finishing the preparations.

"A few days maybe, if she doesn't want to be found then you're not going to find her unless you really know where and when to look." Hatter said.

"Please just hurry up." She pleaded.

"Don't worry about it. I will get this handled and no one will have to die for someone who most likely wouldn't appreciate it." He said.

"If I do die I will devote my eternity to haunting you for the rest of your life." She said while glaring at him.

* * *

"You went to see the Hatter again, didn't you" Mad March said.

"Yes, yes I did, because he is my _friend_ and I can hang out with my friends anytime I want. You are _not_ my father. You are _not_ my husband. You sure as hell aren't mother, though I am starting to question if you aren't due to the fact that you seem to have a bigger vagina than I do!" Lane yelled in his direction.

The frustration of him constantly hounding her was becoming too much. She shouldn't stay in the castle if this was how he was going to continue to act with her in such a manner.

Mad March stared at rare for an uncomfortable amount of time before leaving, not even bothering to shut the damn door behind him.

* * *

"I hope that everything in the castle is to your liking." Jack said.

Lane and Jack had gone to the castle's maze garden and were conversing amongst themselves.

"They're alright for the most part, but I feel that I may have to leave for a while. Mad March is getting on my last nerves and I don't want to keep fighting with him." Lane said.

"I could arrange for you to stay in the quarters across from my room. I don't want you feeling more trapped than you already are." Jack said.

"That would probably be way better than the situation now, thank you." She said.

"Alright then, I'll have you moved over by tonight." He said.

"Good. I probably won't have to stay there for too long. Hatter went out to find Ace, yesterday." She said.

"Sounds like we're a go for this move then." He said.

"You're a really good guy." She said pulling him into a tight hug.

"I do try my best." He said returning the hug.


	6. The Truth About Oysters

Lane had gone with the Queen to her private golf course. Strangely enough, the clubs they were using were actual living, breathing flamingoes, what was even more odd was that the flamingoes didn't seem to mind too much about being used to hit balls.

'Poor things have probably had their spirits broken by this crazy bitch.' Lane thought.

"It's your turn, dear." The Queen said.

"Oh right." Lane said pulling herself out of her thoughts.

Lane got into position with her flamingo club; she tried her best not to look the creature in the eye for fear of not being able to follow through. She gave the ball a hard enough whack that it would travel a decent distance, but not enough so to hurt the animal too badly.

"Ah, good shot dear." The Queen said praising her for her distance.

Lane simply let out a 'Mhm', doing her best to not be too mannerly.

"Later on we shall be visiting the casinos and see how production is going. I know I've yet to take you." The Queen said taking another swing at her ball.

"Of course." Lane said taking her shot after the Queen.

* * *

"This is the casino. It's where we take the Oysters to draw emotions from them." The Queen said.

"Where are the Oysters?" Lane said while looking around confused.

"Ha! Don't be silly dear, they're all around us. We've already talked about this." The Queen said.

"So these people are all 'Oysters'?" Lane said.

"Just the ones engaging in the activities, apart from a few of our own people manipulating how they feel." The Queen said.

Lane looked around at all the people in the room and how all of them had strange shaped tattoos. All of the tattoos were the same they just happened to be different shapes and sizes around their bodies.

"So the tea that Hatter is selling at his shop is coming from these people, and the emotions are there actual emotions?" Lane said, looking to the Queen for conformation after saying the last part.

"Yes, that's exactly right. It's amazing how much people are willing to pay in order to obtain a certain emotion." The Queen said in a pleased manner.

"Have any of these people ever actually been drained of their emotions before?" Lane said walking around the casino and watching as the people obliviously gave their emotions to a vacuum under their bare feet.

"Yes, they have. They only have so much to give." One of the casino workers said.

"What happens to the once they're drained of their emotions. Are they taken away to rest? Are more people put in their place until then?" Lane said.

"One we have depleted an Oyster of all the emotion we need from it we simply throw them out." The worker said.

"You mean you send them home?" Lane said

"No. We dispose of them like trash." The worker said.

"How is that possible? Don't they complain?" Lane said.

"People hardly do much of anything when they're dead, kid." The worker said.

His words hit Lane like a brick to the stomach. They looped around in her mind, stopping particularly on the word dead. Lane felt her stomach her head felt like it was about to explode at any moment from built up pressure. She stumbled backwards before catching herself against the table.

"Are you alright, kid?" the worker said.

"I just need some air." Lane said clutching at her head and stomach before walking away.

"Where are you going?" The Queen called after Lane.

Lane didn't bother to answer she kept going and never looked back.


	7. Bad Trip

Lane wandered as far away from the castle as possible without actually leaving civilization. She walked the streets and was greeted by several people as 'Ace'. Some of them were star struck to see her, others coward in fear from the sight of her. A few children followed for a bit until their parents pulled them away while telling them to mind their manners. It had seemed like a few hours had passed by before she came across a street vendor selling what resembled Italian ices.

"You look like you could use a cold treat." The vendor said.

"I don't have any cash on me." Lane said.

"That's never a problem when it comes to serving you. It's always on the house." He .

"Oh, thank you!" She said smiling wide.

The vendor paused and stared dumbfounded at Lane.

"I-Is something the matter, sir?" She said.

"I mean, I don't think anyone has ever seen you smile before. I mean at least not kindly, no disrespect, madam." He said nervously avoiding eye contact with her the whole time.

"Smiling hurt sometimes." She said in a matter of fact tone.

Smiling did hurt her jaw at times. Her mouth was actually set into what most people called a 'permanent frown'. People always thought she was and angry and somewhat scary looking person until they got to know her better.

"That it does, madam. What flavor would you like?" He said.

"What flavors do you have?" She said.

"We have purple soulfruit, zesty zebra, extravagant silk, honey suckle red, angel trumpet citrus, and watermelon." He said.

Lane had only heard of one of those things ever being flavors.

'The hell am I supposed to pick. Watermelon is all fine and dandy but the angel trumpet citrus sounds like it's good too.' She thought.

"Are any of these products made from Oysters?" She said.

"No just normal flavors. I'd be able to charge an arm and a leg for these if that was the case though." He laughed at his own words.

"I'll take the angel trumpet citrus, please." She said.

The vendor handed her the paper container as well as a plastic spoon. Lane thanked him before walking off.

* * *

The angel trumpet citrus hadn't been that bad. It tasted like sorbet ice cream with a hint of what a flower would smell like. It also made Lane feel very light headed and free. She found herself wandering into the woods and talking to the trees and animals she came across. The more she walked the funnier she felt. There came a point Lane could only describe as her experience like taking acid. She had never done it herself but the people who did explained the feeling to her before. There's nothing worse than having a bad trip and being alone, and that's exactly what was happening to Lane.

"Jesus Christ! Why is this happening to me!?" Lane yelled frantically.

Lane felt like she was melting into the forest floor with every step she took. Anytime something brushed past her it felt like something was trying to grab at her. The tress and animals from before turned into demonic figures. She had no choice but to get into the fetal position and shut and her and cover ears as tightly as possible. She wasn't sure how long she had been crying out of sheer terror but her eyes were puffier than ever before and her nose felt completely stuffed up. Her muscles were sore and her hair was drenched with her tears. She got up and wiped her eyes before she saw the sun had gone almost completely down. She had gotten lost during her trip and didn't know which way she came. She started to cry again before hearing rustling in the trees.

"Why so upset?" a voice came from above.

Lane thought she was still tripping and covered her ears.

"It's not real. It's not real. Just calm down." Lane chanted to herself.

"I beg your pardon. I am too real." The voice sounded closer this time.

Lane felt brush her leg before freaking out again. She looked down and saw glowing yellow eyes, and the silhouette of a cat.

"You're alright, love." The cat said.

Lane stared at the cat.

'What?" Lane said.

"I said you're alright." The cat repeated.

Lane watched as the cat moved its mouth to the words that were coming out.

"I'm so tired." Lane said.

"Aren't we all?" the cat said before grinning from ear to ear.

Lane saw how big the cat's mouth was and how many teeth it had; sharp and large for what appeared to have been a cat… on the outside. With one last once of sanity she managed to lie herself down before letting exhaustion take her away from her living nightmare.

* * *

Lane woke up to the sun shining in her face. She had slept through the night. She moved around a bit to alleviate the stiffness that had formed in her body, especially her neck and back. She could feel covers on top of her and underneath her. Opening her eyes she saw she was in a bed inside a house she had never seen before. It was the look and feel of the wood cabins she'd only seen in movies.

"Good, you're up." a familiar voice said.

Lane jumped and hit her head against the headboard which was made of wood carved into a nice arc shape, like how a lounge would look.

She saw a man standing at the foot of the bed she was in. He looked like he was in his early to mid-twenties. He was dressed in black and purple attire, had semi-short, scruffy, black hair with a purplish tint to it, and had hypnotic yellow eyes. He had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Good to finally see you awake. I was afraid you'd up and died on me." The man said.

"Really!?" Lane said surprised.

"No. Just yanking your chain." The man said.

He offered Lane his hand to shake.

"Cheshire Cat." Cheshire said.

"Lane Fields." Lane said accepting his hand shake.

"It was really strange finding you last night. At first I thought you were someone else, but your scent said otherwise." He said.

"Last night? …You were that cat?" She said.

"Yes indeed, madam." He said grinning from ear to ears.

'Yeah. That mouth of his looks even more dangerous on his human form.' She thought with a shudder.


	8. Cracklings

Cheshire made breakfast and tea for the both of them.

"Your house is very interesting looking." Lane said.

"Thank you. I decorate it with items I pick up during my travels." Cheshire said.

"Do you travel for work or do you just do it for yourself?" She said.

"I do it mostly for myself but there are times where it can be part of my work." He said.

"What job do you do?" She said.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He said tapping her on the nose while winking at her.

Lane rubbed her nose and couldn't help feeling more curious about Cheshire's answer.

* * *

Cheshire had decided to take Lane fishing with him in exchange for telling her story.

"So what I ate was full a psychedelic ingredients?" Lane said.

"Yes. They're called psychedelic sweets. If you know what to expect the experience can be pleasant. You weren't supposed to eat all of it so fast." Cheshire said.

"I've never worried about people lacing my snow cones with drugs before." She said.

"Most people enjoy the feeling." He said.

"You're all really strange. So kids eat this stuff too? It's available to everyone?" She said.

"Of course it's a normal treat." He said.

"Well we have ice cream. It's a dairy product." She mumbled.

* * *

Hatter's POV

Hatter came across a building called Dee & Dum's Cigar Lounge. It had and animated neon sign of the brothers each smoking a cigar. He was never one to really come to this part of town, not unless it was important. He thought that even if he didn't find Ace here that he would find where she went. He entered the lounge and was immediately overwhelmed with thick clouds of smoke. Most of the men were in suits, and most of the women that were there were cigar girls, dressed in classy lingerie to appease the customers and keep them coming back.

"Look who it is." A female voice said.

Hatter turned around to see one of the cigar girls walk over to him. The woman had brown skin; reddish-brown kinky hair fashioned in a curly afro, and looked like she could be about 5'7 if she wasn't wearing heels. Her outfit had red and white vertical stripes making her torso look a bit longer than it was.

"Hello, Aria." Hatter said, greeting her with a brief hug.

"I wasn't expecting to see you back here so soon." Aria said.

"Ah yes, I came looking for someone that might be here now, or might have been here before." He said.

"Wow that sure narrows it down." She said sarcastically.

"I'm looking for, Ace." He said.

Aria's face paled slightly before she spoke up.

"A- S-she left not too long ago." She said.

"Do you know where she went?" He exclaimed.

"Um, not really, maybe someone else saw which way she went." She said, walking backwards having started tending to a customer that just entered.

"Cripes, alright." He said waving bye to Aria.

* * *

Hatter had been asking around for about two more hours before he caught a glimpse of a girl that could've been Ace.

"Hey! Stop! Someone grab her!" Hatter shouted out pointing in the girl's direction.

There was confusion all around due to the calm demeanor of the girl compared to the frantic nature of Hatter. The girl stopped to look at him as he approached.

"Bleeding hell! I've been looking for you for days!" He exclaimed seeing that it had, in fact, been Ace once he was closer.

Ace stood and watched as Hatter caught his breath in his doubled over position.

"You need to run more, your stamina is terrible." Ace said.

"Very funny." He said standing up.

"Why were you looking for me?" She said placing a finger under Hatter's chin so they made eye contact.

"There's a situation at the castle that only you are qualified to handle." He said.

"That could mean an array of things." She said starting to walk away.

"Doppelganger!" He yelled after her.

She stood in place for a moment before turning around.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She said glaring at him obviously annoyed.

"Yours." He said.

Her eyes slowly began to widen as his words sunk in.

* * *

Lane's POV

Lane was watching the fire crackle in front of her while waiting for Cheshire to come back with "some cracklings", as he called them.

"How long exactly does it take to get cracklings, whatever the hell those are?" Lane said out loud to herself.

She heard the sound of the door sliding against the wooden floor as it opened. She turned sideways to see who it could be.

"I'm back." Cheshire called from the doorway.

"Glad to see it's you and not some stranger." She said.

"I'm glad that you're glad. I hope you're even gladder once you see what I've brought." He said.

Lane got up to see what he had brought back after all that time. She stuck her hand in the box that was placed on the table and managed to pull out what looked to be fire crackers.

"Are these actually fire crackers, or something else?" She said while turning the box over in her hands.

"Those are cracklings. I thought you'd enjoy them, especially since the weather hasn't been too dry lately." He said pulling more out of the box.

"Where I'm from we call them fire crackers." She said placing them back on the table.

* * *

Cheshire and Lane had gone outside to a clearing and started to light the cracklings. He handed her a zippo of her own so that she could light ones she thought were interesting. He was the first to light one labeled 'Moon Dragon.' She was expecting for it to start making noise and flashing, but what happened next was much more impressive and unexpected. The fuse started to take shape and the crackling started to move about. There was a small white dragon dancing about as the fuse continued to burn, it made little roaring sounds as it flew above their heads and the trees in tight figure eights, and sometimes doing loops. The crackling lasted for about 30 seconds before burning out.

"That was freaking amazing!" Lane exclaimed eager to light another one of her own.

Lane looked over each one before choosing one that was labeled 'Fire Crab.' She lit the fuse and then placed the crackling on the ground. The fuse started to burn like the other did before a bright red burning crab silhouette started to move about in normal crab fashion. The crackling would snap at the small branches of tall trees as it sidestepped in the air before finally going out.

"Holy hell! How many boxes did you get of these?" She said.

"There should be enough to last us almost all night." He said.

"How many can we use?" She said.

"As many as you'd like." He said.

Lane's eyes lit up with childlike wonder as they continued to light fuses all though the night, watching as 'Purple Rain Wolves' and 'Golden Falcons' did their respective dances. There were even 'Silver Deer', 'Mountain Octopus', and 'Coral Leopards' to entertain them for hours. She found that the 'Glacier Turtle' cracklings were her favorite so far. It would glide through the air the way it would in water; it was an iceberg blue color and had spikes on its shell.

"I'm really glad I ended up meeting you." She said grabbing Cheshire's free hand.

Cheshire jumped at this unexpected action. He looked at Lane who was still watching the cracklings go off and smiled at her before giving her hand a small squeeze.

"Likewise, my strange little friend." He said.

* * *

Author's note: I'm sorry that the chapters have stopped coming back in, I am currently working on a Young Justice story that I have more ideas for at the moment.


End file.
